Friday
(1)In Saudi Arabia the government's response to attacks on foreign workers is to allow them to carry firearms. Any chance of that happening in London? I can get a foreign passport if necessary.
However, foreign contractors for the Saudi government will not be allowed to carry weapons because they are under the protection of the State. Good luck to them.
On balance, I think I would swap the British Home Secretary for his Saudi counterpart: less fascism, less victim disarmament, more effective law enforcement, and slightly less political correctness.
Besides in Saudi Arabia you seldom know who's who. Rumors say that some of the (7000) Princes contending for the throne, notably the one in charge of "homelnad security", work hand in hand with the terrorists, against some other princes, and they don't mind killing people (foreigners or locals) in their just and noble struggle for the oil revenue. Dindn't you know it is all for ooooil !!!
I wouldn't want to live there even if I were alowed to carry arms.
Posted by Jacob at June 25, 2004 12:58 PM
"Islam" does not believe in self-defense for non-Muslims; this is an expedient ploy by the Saudi government, not an "Islamic" move.
Non-Muslims were barred from carrying arms in the days of the Islamic Empires, as well as from riding horses with saddles, which was a move to keep them from developing a cavalry.
This link is to the Pact of Omar which became the standard surrender agreement for non-Muslim communities targeted by Jihad, and which also found its way into the sharia, to be preserved forevermore:
Notice the prohibition on carrying arms and riding with saddles for the conquered non-Muslim peoples.
Posted by Susan at June 25, 2004 05:18 PM
Susan,
Your point about Islamic law is taken. However, I note that self-defence is prohibited in the United Kingdom, despite our Bill of Rights which prohibits the disarmament of Protestants. Also it is not clear whether foreign Moslems could carry weapons in Saudi Arabia, so the law may have been more secular than the Pact of Omar.
I seem to recall that Christian regimes burnt witches, imprisoned homosexuals, sometimes murdered Jews. Even in England at one time church attendance was compulsory.
England has a nationalized church and blasphemy is still prosecutable. The rhetoric of the British state is Christian, but the practice is secular.
Just as we should accept that there have been changes in the West (some of them for the best), we should not discount the possibility of improvement in Islamic states, regardless of the rhetoric.
I would not expect a Saudi declaration that Islamic law has been dumped in a trashcan.
Posted by Antoine Clarke at June 25, 2004 06:47 PM
Well at least Nu Labor hasn't taken away our saddles yet,it can only be a matter of time.
Posted by Peter at June 26, 2004 03:41 AM
I don't think that the Saudi counterpart is barking mad either
Posted by Cancergiggles at June 26, 2004 09:55 AM
Editor's note: Comment deleted.
Yeah we hear you but sorry, looooooooong rambling screeds just lower the tone of the neighbourhood too much even if you heart is in the right place. Come back later when you are in the mood for some brevity.
Posted by ragheadwilly at December 6, 2004 04:30 PM
